The Republic
by generikawsome
Summary: This is a story of the re-creation of the Republic of Heaven.Starts off with the story of Sarah new character but eventually finds its way back to the people you know and love. I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Its my first ever. Please read and review!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Trying to stay on her feet, she stumbled down the broken pathway. Leaves in her shoes, twigs and ferns scraping her knees and calves, she tripped and crawled a short ways. Her eyes welling up with fear, she whirled around to face her attacker. The enigma walked slowly down the pathway, moving flawlessly. She got up, fumbling on her own skirt. In a heartbeat she was down the path. Slowly the attacker pulled out a small spherical object the size of a ball of lint. The man also took out a similarly sized needle, and by forcing the needle though the sphere, the roots and bramble began to part. Soon the parting reached her heels, and then the movement started ahead of her. The pebbles behind her began to quake. The man, formerly a dot, was now gone. Feeling slightly relived, she slowed to a stop, but, still feeling anxious, she moved off of the trail into uncharted territory, despite her better judgment.

Given this brief respite, the girl began to scan her intriguing surrounding. The magnificent trees towered over even the tallest buildings in the city. There were only a few patches of undergrowth in the small beams of light that filtered through the tremendous tree branches. The few clearings were small and filled with insects that obviously protested any interference in their business. So she stayed in the shade relishing the obscurity. She continued walking hoping to find a running stream. Among her studies of math, astrology, and metaphysics, she encountered few survival courses, and those that she had come across were obviously helpful at this point.

Walking a little ways out off, she found a clearing filled with tall dry grass. As she walked into the middle of the field, she found that the grass was both loud and resinous making it a difficult journey to the center of the clearing. Pausing for a moment to savor the sights, sounds, and smells, she sighed. It was not every day that you could leave the city, let alone enjoy it. But there was something irregular in the sound. A scraping of metal against wood. Before she opened her eyes she knew what was coming. The scraping stopped and there was a loud rustling from behind her. Calmly opening her eyes, knowing that her death was not in vain, she turned to face her attacker. Sadly this cloaked figure was still a mystery. Hopefully she won't have to find out who it is.


	2. Chapter 1: Sarah

Ch1: Sarah

Her ears were ringing as her eyes shot open. Another sleepless sleep had tormented her. Moving steadily out from under the sheets, she made for the small mirror. What she expected to see that was new was a mystery. Every morning for the past… How long was it? How long had it been before the dreams of the shadowed figure had permeated her dreams? That lone figure scared the life out of her. In her last dream, she was a small child, running. From what, she had no idea.

The ringing had returned, piercing her eardrums directly to her mind. She stood, entranced by the sound, staring into space for minuets. But soon her bodily functions took over her insomnia and she stumbled back into bed only to rouse to a rude awakening of blunt steel on sheet rock. God damned jackhammers. They just don't shut up, goddamn construction workers. Putting on her best face she finally looked at the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her eyes crusted and drooping, her nose red with cold, and finally her mouth, slender and pink. Her mouth seemed to be the only constant beautiful thing about her appearance, other than her clear skin. She looked lower on her body. Lean and fit, which was quite ironic due to her recent eating and exercise habits. Finals were nearing and she had patience only for biology and philosophy, obviously a strange combination. She eventually wanted to become a psychologist and study human nature through biology, but sadly her plan was atrociously underfunded and inefficacious.

Sarah was 17 years old. Having no present parents, she had jumped from foster home to unwelcoming foster home, denying herself from the company of everyone and anyone. She feared the consequence of getting too close to anyone and having to let go. Her parents must have had a reason why they weren't present in her life, but nothing should stop the caring of a child by her parents.

Again the ringing came back, but softly under the sound of the jackhammer. But this was a different ringing; this was the sound of metal on metal, again and again. She turned in time to see her alarm clock rattle off of her bedside desk. Leaping to its rescue, she barely missed and the metal stopped ringing, but in wake was jaw-clenching crash. Surely, she would hear from her councilor for she has been nearly evicted for much less. At least the jackhammers had started again to cover up the rasping sound of metal on plastic. Scampering to find a dustpan, she shoved the broken plastic and metal into a small trash can. At least she had an excuse for being late to class that was actually true.

Recently, all her activities had bored her. It seemed like every damn day shade of gray. The banality of it all was excruciating; wake up, go to class, study, sleep, rinse, and repeat. She tried to refrain from being extraordinary, outstanding or even a disappointment because that would grab the attention of her parents and teachers. The last thing she needed in her life was more people who pretended to give a rat's ass if she succeeded or failed. She knew that she could do much better than she was, however she abstained from becoming excellent for she knew that the expectations of the obscure girl would rise past what she was willing to put herself through.

After a quick shower and brushing of her hair she was ready to be late to class; putting on an air of flustered exhaustion was her specialty. Having lived her whole life as a lie, she pretended to be someone whom she despised and pitied. After cleaning her dresser and making her bed, she started to make her way towards the door, dreading the portal from herself to her false persona: Natalie Subber. Because Sarah had no last name, she chose the most despising name to herself. Natalie was a weak minded bumbling idiot. She did the bare minimum to keep up with the course and attain a passing grade, never leaving a mark on the teacher. This year was 

extra hard to maintain her self-formulated homeostasis for her metaphysics teacher had figured out her how talented she really was. It was pitiful that, after nine years of trying to stay hidden from her peer and professors, one paper on the fantasy of morals had shattered her iron veil of obscurity.

Shoving her books and papers into her bag, she rushed towards the door, cursing under her breath. Even with her admirable tardy record, she was pushing the boundaries of fashionably late. With only a few minuets until she would be reported she sped through the door.

The ringing had returned, again.


	3. Chapter 2: Outsider

Ch2: Outsider

Hearing the hurried steps of a stranger, the boy paused. He pondered the possibility of trying his story on this stranger. His whole life he had not practiced his story, but now seemed like a better time that any to start. Rounding the corner, he prepared himself, jutting out his chin, thrusting his chest out with air, and tucking in his gut, but it seemed as if his perception of time had faltered. He collided with a girl about half a foot shorter than he. He had no idea how such a small creature could have such force. He got to his feet, formulating a new story as he rose so as to explain his clumsiness without cluing her in on his deception. In his head he thought, _So, I'm poor lost soul without any idea where I am and I need to get to class. By the way I'm new to this school. My name is-, _but before he could finish his thought she brushed past him

"Hey! I think I deserve an apology!" What the hell was he thinking? Totally out of character.

"Oh! And I suppose that your pompous ass parents are going to force me to give it to you," she called. His face in a state of undeniable shock, she continued, "Well, contrary to popular belief, money does not affect these halls as much as you'd like." With that she sprinted off down the corridor and burst into a classroom, sneakily.

He followed her at a walk, still stunned at the girl's performance. He looked at the paper in his bag indicating his class schedule. Among the list of classes and rooms, he found the same room that the girl had entered. He paused outside the doorway wondering what to do. Of course he could use the excuse that he was new and could not find the place, but he was bored of that. He thought, _There is the possibility that they won't make a big deal out of my entrance. But, the probability of that happening is minute. I mean that girl didn't seem like the type to be so forward with someone. I want to talk to her. She is intriguing… and beautiful. On second though, I should stay away. She doesn't make me feel like liar, but, well, I didn't lie. What a display. I never see myself react outside of my head, it was nice to see a real reaction that was not calculated or observed or introspected. Well I might as well go in. _

Coming out of the trance of his thought, he overheard the teacher yelling, "What, do you think this school is your own personal tutor center where you can come and go as you please? I know you don't feel like you fit in, but do you have to take it out on the rest of the class? Considering that you're obviously intelligent, why don't you make an effort to actually achieve something Tell me Natalie? Why?" Then he heard something that he though no one else heard. It was barely a whisper, "Because that would reveal who I am." He waited for the opportune moment to enter. Entering now would be too conspicuous, but waiting too long would indicate some knowledge of the events that had just occurred. Suddenly the teacher said, "Well then, class. Everyone take out your reading that was for homework." And there was an explosion of noise: voices conversing, papers shuffling, and chairs scraping the ground. He opened the door, but to his dismay, the door creaked so loudly that it drowned out the clamor. Afterwards was dead silence. Not a movement from the kids, not even to blink. He guessed that they did not get new students very often.

Putting on his act he stuttered, "Hello, my name is-"

"David Ackroid? Yes, yes, come in. You will find the text book under the chair." And she indicated to the chair in the back corner. _Strange, _he thought, _that there is an open seat in the back. All the students must either have bad vision or are actually eager to learn. _He smirked softly to himself as he made his way to the chair, and to his dismay or delight – he had no idea which – he was sitting next to a certain brown haired, green eyed, Natalie. He looked over to ask 

a question, but before he could utter a sound, she shot him a quick look that shut him up instantly. He had seen that look before in the eyes of many others that he had alienated. Feeling slightly dejected, and strangely remorseful, he looked under his chair to find the book.

He tried to follow the material being covered but soon he was lost in his thought. _God I've never been so self conscious in my life!_ Looking up slowly he realized he was missing a seemingly esoteric lecture. _Ah, forget it. I'll scan it later. It's not like its important, right? Plus, Latin history was easy. I've read a few books on Latin philosophy; I could just make inferences based on assumptions of their time to guess what was happening. But why am I so self conscious? It can't be that I'm worried about my story. I'm an exchange student from California, which I am. It seems like a long way away but the courses there can't be much different. Uh, what else… oh! Of course, I got a scholarship to join this school. 'A scholarship for what?' they will ask. Well, I haven't used psychology recently. Ya, that'll be alright. _

"So does everyone understand the homework? Should I explain it again?" Half the class muttered indications of understanding while the rest of the class suddenly seemed to wake up and want to 'try and understand the assignment to its fullest extent'. "Alright, you all have to pair up, even you Natalie, and try to apply Latin philosophy to some of the government's policies. Please indicate which policies or laws and show how that would improve or deconstruct a society…" And so on.

As everyone packed up, David tapped Natalie on her shoulder. Turning and trying to put on an apologetic face, she faced him. Trying to sound as reasonable as possible he said, "I can guess that you are not that popular among this crowd. Well, you seem nice. I would really like to work with you on this project to get to know you."

"What's to know?" She answered sharply, "Where I was born? How I ended up here, in this failed excuse for a school?" Well that shot apologizing out the window.

"Wow. Even after that display in the hall, you still have a sharp tongue. How about this, you show me the real you, the one you were threatening with under your breath, and I will tell you about myself. Trust me this is a once in a lifetime opportunity." After pondering for a minuet, she made a move for the door and indicated that he follows. _WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? You've hid yourself for so long and you're going to throw all that away for some bitch? Get a grip!_


	4. Chapter 3: Liars

Ch3: Liars

Not sure what she was doing, she awkwardly led the boy down the corridor towards her haven. Soon, she would have to give up the most precious tool in her arsenal of techniques to stay obscure: her isolation. Hopefully the boy would lie like he did with his name. She had many backstories that she could use to get rid of him, but if he told the truth, she was screwed to hell. But, her very prized tool was what drove her to agree to his proposition. All those years of isolation were so lonely. She needed a friend, but she wasn't sure if this boy wanted to be friends or more than that. She could read people pretty well, but he was damn near illegible. Luckily he was bad at lying well.

For the first time in her life Sarah was going to attempt to connect to another human being. To think that someone would finally know the secrets of Sarah… She needed a last name. What would be a suitable last name? Weinmen? No. Baraquela? No. No. She would just have to tell him the truth. The whole truth. _How will he react? Considering, he himself is different, he may not be irascible or unforgiving. The truth may not be such a bad idea. But remember not to tell him unless he tells you. Oh, shit, the last corner. Well here goes nothing._ Jumping out of her mind, Sara turned to David as Natalie.

Beaming up at him, she stuttered, "So, David, w-would you l-like to c-c-come in? Maybe we can get started on the project."

With a strange glint in his eye, David replied skeptically, "Sure, I would love to come in. Just tell me-" He hesitated. He would have asked "why do you insist on putting up this deceptive barrier when you are obviously more eloquent than this?" but he decided against. Something told him that she knew his name wasn't David by the way she emphasized it. He quickly recovered with, "what sort of Latin philosophy books do you have?"

Realizing this petty back and forth of lies, she thought on her feet, "W-well, I have the requirements: P-Plato's _Republic_ and Aristotle's _Rhetoric_." She said as she reached for the door. _Well then here goes nothing. _Placing the key on the door, she could feel each click as the moved against the lock. She turned the doorknob and finally pushed the door open. Oddly, this wasn't as heart wrenching as she thought it would be. "So, let's get started. Shall we?" She said as she closed the door.

_Well then, _he thought, _I guess we will finish the project and then talk. This should only take, maybe, half and hour. Should I just give her the answers? No. She's smart. We'll word to together. _"So where shall we start?" And for the next hour, they worked together. Fortunately, she had more books than she was willing to admit; unfortunately, she wouldn't admit she had those books. The temptation to ask the question, "Why are you suffocating yourself in a veil?" was enormous, but he refrained. He knew that she didn't take her obscurity lightly and he could also see she was making an effort. After about four hour they finished. It was a 19 page long report on the hazards of a few governmental policies.

He frowned, "So what do you think, C material?"

"Oh, definitely not. We'll be lucky if we get a D," she replied sarcastically.

"You do know that I wasn't being sarcastic, right? This report is terrible. It's only 19 pages, first of all. Second the few policies mentioned have to tangible impact on the greater population, and third, the philosophy mentioned also influenced Nazi politics!"

"Holy shit, you're actually scared for your grade in this place? God, this joke school gives A's to anyone who donates money, which your parents obviously do."

"Oh, shut up." He wanted to break into a rant about how she cared about her grade but that would be too obvious. So he resorted to, "You just spent a whole hour on homework. Don't tell me it's because necessary. You obviously care about your grade but are too stubborn to admit it. You're so caught up in this fantasy world that you have woven for yourself that you can't tell the truth from dream." _Shit that may have gone a bit far._ _I specifically tried to refrain from just that sentence for the past hour. What the hell?_

It was her turn to stare in shock. But her shock was more of fear than of anger. After a minuet of silence, she dropped her head, whispering again, "Leave, please. You can go turn in the paper."

He walked over to her cupboard and opened it. Feeling on the top shelf, he pulled down four books saying, "Let me just finish it." Grabbing the paper, he turned to leave. As he was in the doorway, he said, "Don't worry, I wont give you much credit."

Walking down the hallway, his footsteps echoed. He reached in his bag to pull out his map, but found his schedule instead. Looking briefly at his watch, he realized that he only had 2 hours to finish the paper. _Where is everyone? Probably at lunch. I should get to the library to finish this. It's not like I have any help. Goddamn it, how could I be so stupid to say that? It's probably not even true. This is why I don't trust my intuition, it's always wrong. If I can't even befriend the loneliest person in school, then – well, that is what I set out to do – I'll be completely alone. _Finding the library, he set out to finish the project but after about 5 minuets he realize what Natalie had said was right. His first day there and he was already trying to outshine those who didn't care. Putting the paper and books, in his bag, he went outside.

The campus had magnificent grounds. Acers and acres of rolling green dunes filled his eyes save one patch of tall green. Supposing that's a forest, he started to move towards it. Moving to the top of a dune, he saw a brown haired figure about a mile out. Despite the alluring forest, he moved towards the figure. He had a faint idea about who it was, Natalie. He wondered if talking to would encroach that which was not comfortable to be crossed, but he had to try. _What should I say? 'I'm sorry' sounds too cliché and having a long winded apology seems too personal. Hell, I'll just wing it. _Moving along, he couldn't help but notice the trees did not seem to be moving in relation to where he was. It was either an enormous forest or very far away.

Looking forward, he noticed that he was getting close. Strangely his heart began to race, so he paused to take a breath. After a few minuets of standing he started to move forward. "Finally! I thought you didn't have the balls to talk."

The voice was startling. So she knew he was there the whole time. "Look, we've both lied to each other-"

"It's O.K. I know that I haven't been very hospitable. In my defense, it's not like you were the nicest person."

"Oh, come on. You were so wrapped up in deceit; you couldn't even tell you were lying!" He said, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Well, then. Now that we know that we both lie like hell, how about a truce? We have, what, two hours? Let's tell our stories. God knows I could use a friend."

"We both could."

* * *

Hi there. Sorry for the clicheness of this chapter, and the next. Hopefully u wont have to bear it much longer.

Reviews would help. Just wana know how I'm doing.


	5. Chapter 4: Stories

Ch4: Stories

"So first we're going to need each other's real names."

"It's hard to tell who goes first."

"How about this, whoever gives their name first, gives their story last."

"Which would you prefer?"

After a brief pause in the conversation, "My name is Sarah. I don't have a last name because I never knew my parents. Now it's your turn." But there was no return engagement. "Hey, what the hell? Tell me your name!"

"It's hard to remember something you've never gone known yourself."

"So you don't have a name?

"I do, I think. And I know it, but it is the only thing that is truly mine. I was orphaned at birth and I never found out the story of my parents. But I do know my mother's name: Jennifer. The orphanage told me my mother's last words."

Eyes wide entranced in his story before it had begun, she asked, "So, what were they?"

He looked up at the blue sky, a cloud drifting by, casting a shadow on the dune directly next to them. He suddenly became aware of his surroundings: the trees, the grass, the insects, and Sarah. Seeing her captivated face, he continued, "Well, they were somewhat odd. There are two versions of it. The first is 'Remember, Edward' and the second is 'Remember Edward'. I have used a wide variety of fake names from Aaven to Zimmer, but I have never used Edward. As far as I know, my mother might have been calling to someone or telling me to remember."

"Remember what?" said Sarah, still entranced with his story.

"That's just it; there is nothing that I am supposed to remember. So I just assume that Edward is my father. That is the one name that I wish never to disrespect."

"So in the meantime, what should I call you, David? Or do you think your name is Edward?"

"We'll see what you will call me. Everyone I've gotten close to has had a different name for me. I regard my true name in context with the people I know." He said, purposely making his last statement as enigmatic as possible.

"So what's your story? Where were you born? When? It's not often that I get to know someone." She said trying to contain her excitement.

"Are you sure you want the whole story? Some of it is quite gruesome." She looked at him, ostracized. Laughing he said, "I'm kidding." She noted that he expressed nervousness with jokes. He took a deep breath, and sighed. "Well here goes. I was born in Southern California-"

"That far away? Wow, I really misjudged you."

"Ya, interrupting really helps." But after seeing her face of distain he quickly said, "Sorry, it's a habit. Anyways, I was born in Southern California, more specifically, San Diego. I grew up around other orphans, just as lonely as I was, but they all knew their names. There was this one kid when I was younger, Terry something. He used to say 'No name. No friends. Wonder why he still wants to live?' I moved from that orphanage to one in L.A. It's not the friendliest place in the world, but at least I was accepted there. Many of the orphans there didn't know their parents at all, as well. I liked it there, but I had to move because some couple decided to take me into foster care, all the way in Sacramento. I had actually made a friend in L.A. I found out recently that he got adopted about 8 years ago to a nice family in Nevada. But anyways, Sacramento is where I started school. From the first day I found it inane. My foster parents it seemed only wanted me for the money. To them I was worth no more then dirt, but the 

pay the reaped from having me was invaluable apparently. Even back then, my mind worked in a political manner. I decided to coerce them into letting me live with a friend of mine and every time there was an inspection, I would go back there. This worked out for a while until there was a surprise inspection; the institution insisted that this family was not worth me because they didn't directly take care of me.

"So I had to move to an orphanage in Phoenix. I was, by far, happiest there. My foster father, Jim McCaman, was a former Navy Seal and was enlisted in the army reserve. He was going to adopt me, but his wife forbade it so I settled for foster child. We used to go on month long trips in the desert. We walked for hours in full silence. He taught me his own brand of martial arts. I would have liked very much to stay, but you know my luck. I was with them for a year when I caught Jim cheating on his wife."

Sarah couldn't help but notice the cut directly under his right ear that stretched down into his shirt. She considered asking but she decided against it. He was pouring out his soul, and if he didn't want to talk about it, that was fine.

"At that point I was sickened with that family and requested a move. The new place I went to was only for about a week, I have forgotten where it was. But in that week, I got a scholarship for a private tutor. I'm still not sure what the scholarship was for, but the tutor was nice. Lindsay, I think. She called me Nikoli. I remember because she helped me get here. I only knew her for a year but she led my interest in physics. Its part of the reason I'm here. Supposedly this is the best school for to help with particle physics.

"So that's my story. Your turn"

"Wow! You've been through a lot. Well, my life is hardly as eventful as yours. Both my parents are dead I'm pretty sure." _Tell the truth danmit!_ "But I still have some hope that they are still alive. My mom disappeared when I was three and I have no pictures of my dad who was killed in an explosion. There was a gas leak in our house when we were four and I was in school. After two years in an orphanage in D.C., I was offered a spot in this school. You see, in order to get out of most taxes, the school does pro bono acceptances. So since then I have isolated myself from everyone fearing that they will go away just like everyone else in my life."

"Well that's plain ridiculous! You've not had a friend in 9 years?" He replied, astonished.

"10 years in a couple of months."

He looked at her. He had not truly looked at her yet. He took in the small ears, the combed sleek hair, her smooth round chin, narrow pink lips, and deep green eyes. At that moment, a watchtower in the distance struck quarter to two.

Smiling mysteriously, she said, "We should go. It's a long walk back." As she got up, she had a puzzled look on her face.

"What's wrong?."

"Do you hear something?"

"No, why?"

"Never mind."


	6. Chapter 5: Power

Ch5: Power

The walk back was excruciatingly silent. Sarah shifted awkwardly with the weight of her bag up each dune. Finally they reached an indoor area and level ground. Walking to their next class in pressing silence, Sarah looked up at – _What should I call him? He said that everyone called him a different name. I can't call him Edward. That also rules out Ed_ – him. The first thing she noticed was his eyes. For some reason they looked fake, like images burned on glass. Something about them was plastic and filmy. She added that to the list of things unexplained that included his scar under his right ear, which she couldn't see right now, and his lack of a name.

Looking around her, she noticed something different about the school. The walls were not the same shade. The grass was thicker. The floor polished. She suddenly said, "Hey, I forgot something in my room; I'll be right back." And she sprinted off. "Don't wait up." She called back.

Squinting after her, he said partly to her partly to himself, "Ya, I'll just find the place on my own."

Running down the hall, Sarah thought about her exit. _Oh, shit. Did he buy that crap? Whatever, no time to reminisce. I know something is off. The walls, the grass, the floor. It's like someone came in and redecorated. Wait a second, what happened to the sky? _Looking outside Sarah noticed that the sky was no longer blue, but a dull grey, just like the walls. There was no sharp light in the sky, no sun. Sarah doesn't normally curse strongly, but she couldn't help but think, _What the fuck is going on?_, "Sonuvabitch!" The ringing was back with such intensity that she couldn't keep it out of her mind. Struggling to get back on her feet, Sarah clenched her eyes shut to put out the noise. Falling back down on her knees, she opened her eyes to see a cloaked figure standing in front of her.

Without thinking, she ran in the opposite direction and turned a corner only to see the figure again at the end of the corridor. Heart racing, eyes expanding, adrenaline pulsing through her veins, she faced him. Moving back a step or two she so as to be at the intersection of the hallway she came from and the one she was in, she stared at the figure. It – _I can't call it he or she, so ill leave it at it. _– had no face it seemed. Looking at it closely, she noticed a small claw-like appendage protruding from a sleeve where the hand should be. It lifted the claw and pointed it at Sarah, who was now just feet from what was hopefully escape. She was about to make a run for it when she noticed a small glow from the figure. Pulling out its other hand, which was a hand, the figure removed a small orb from the glow. But, it was the orb itself that was glowing. Holding the small orb in front of itself, it looked around and looked back. Facing his palm up, the figure stared hard at the orb. Entranced with this act, Sarah stayed put.

The orb floated into the air, shining gold all around the hall. Clenching its fist, the figure somehow intensified the glow, and as fast as it had appeared, the glowing ball seamlessly dissolved. Snapping out of trance, Sarah, suddenly sore, pulled herself straight. The figure had begun to move forward as Sarah moved back. Finally, after an excruciating six inches, Sarah was finally at the intersection. Ready to sprint away, Sarah began to sway. Exhaustion suddenly took over her body. She couldn't stand it anymore; toppling against the wall, she slid down into a small crumpled body. The figure began to move forward, and soon its shadow was cast over her small body. Everything turned dull and grey until the only distinct colors were grey from the walls and black from 'it'. _Sarah!_ Moving its hook forward, he placed the tip on her neck. _Sarah, what the fuck! Get the fuck out of there! _Pulling back its hook and moving it to the other side, it left a small dot of blood. She could hear footsteps running. As 'it' reached down, the footsteps 

were getting closer. Finally she could hear a voice "Sarah!" she heard, over and over. She started to crawl away from the figure with all her strength but she reached nowhere. She made it around the corner, looking to the footsteps.

Another shadowed figure has running towards was, calling her name. Casting his – _How do I know it's a he? Something intrinsic in his manner. Am I hallucinating?_ – hand, the figure shot a golden ball at Sarah's attacker, dumbfounding it. He put out his hand. As he moved closer everything seemed to become clearer. The colors started to return to the walls and floor, the light started to filter in through the windows, and the figure started to become clearer. With all the strength she had left, Sarah lifted her hand to meet the hand of the figure and as they touched, everything came back. All the sights, all the sounds, all the feeling, and all her energy returned. Looking up at her rescuer, she started, stumbling over her own sneakers. She looked up again, and still couldn't believe it.

Finally, they made it outside. She collapsed on a nearby dune, gasping for breath. Pulling herself up to look at her savior, Sarah said, "Won't it come after us?"

"I doubt it."

"Why's that?

"It looked tired, as if it had used a great load of energy. There was something weird about it though. When I passed by him, my limbs started to weaken, but as I moved away, they regained strength."

"That must have affected him too. Like a black hole scenario, where all the energy is lost in a singularity, but as you move away, the source of energy becomes lost. The fuel for the black hole no longer exists causing the black hole to vacuum empty space, imploding and releasing the energy."

"Not to be a skeptic, but how would an implosion occur when the energy is already a singularity? Plus, wouldn't the discharge of energy also affect him?"

"Don't be an ass, it's just a theory. Anyways, the moral of the story is: don't get near that thing."

They sat there for a while, resting. Sarah looked over at – _what the hell am I supposed to call him_ – him. His eyes were still glossed over and his brow furrowed. "What's up? You seem worried."

His eyes flashed gold, but only for a millisecond. Snapping out of his trance, he looked around then at Sarah. His eyes were still the glossy brown that they were before. Shifting his gaze to the grass, he laid down face first and said, "I don't know, it just seems that something is wrong. The thing that attacked you, what was it?"

"I'm not sure, but it had a hook for a hand and in the hand it did have, there was a golden orb. It seemed to come out of his hand itself. After the orb disappeared, the same thing happened to me as what happened to you. I could barely move and I was out of strength." She shivered at the thought of that experience and pulled her knees up to her chest.

He started, "Well, I'm sure that what-" but never finished. As he said it he rolled over and sat up, looking at the exit they came from, he stopped. Sarah looked over at him and to where he was looking, taking no notice in his eyes. Eventually her eyes made it to the opening and she sat petrified.

Getting up slowly, he reached down to pick up Sarah and move slowly away. Shuffling backwards, he and Sarah stared dumbly at the hole in the wall. There stood another figure, with two hands, whose shoulders were raising and falling as if in anger. The figure was smaller than 

the first but this one also wore a midnight robe, nearly concealing its form in the shadow of the doorway. The figure put out its hand, palm facing upwards, chest now heaving. Slowly its demonic breaths subsided and the hood faced the floor. Its hand began to glow, and gradually the intensity grew to a bright light that consumed the darkness that had enveloped the doorway. Breaking off into smaller beams, the split and encircle the figure. Finally, there was nothing but a golden figure standing in the doorway, covering one of the few escape routes that had already formulated in Sarah's mind. Suddenly, solid figure of golden yellow became real and the gold strips shot into the skin of the original figure. Lighting the hood were two, sharp rays of light where eyes should have been.

That was the last Sarah had seen before she started to sprint away, pulling along her companion. He had been asphyxiated in the awesome sight of the golden figure. Realizing he was moving, he started to focus, survival instincts jerking him awake. He felt the pull on his hand and looked at Sarah, _She really trusts me! Or was it just an impulse pulling me along. Let's find out. _"Sarah, go towards the woods. I'll see if I can hold of the thing."

"No! What the hell are you thinking? You'll be killed."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." She let go, staring at him as she walked away. She ran looking over her shoulder. Hopefully she wouldn't have anything to worry about. He turned to face the attacker, but there was no attack. The hooded figure stood at the top of a dune, piercing eye-beams directly in his but the light was not burning. It was quite warm and made him a little sleepy. Blinking a few times, the sensation left his eyes. Looking up to the figure, he saw what had stopped him. The orb that had had seemed to give him the piercing eyes had returned to his hand and was sinking into his skin. The figure squared his shoulders and lifted its hands to its hood pushing it back. As the hood fell, short, spiked hair protruded up, the same brown hair as he. Eyebrows furrowed in fury, jaw clenched in animosity, and eyes red with rage.

Eyes wide, he looked up at the figure drawing a contorted conclusion. The figure was a spitting image of him, or was it the other way around; all of him was the same except for the eyes. The eyes were a strange color. They seemed to match the acrimony emanating from the figure. He finally rallied the courage to ask, "Who are you?"

Eyes subtly changing colors to match his sarcasm, he replied sardonically, "Don't you remember? What has it been 6, 7 years? I lost count a few years ago."

"What the fuck are you talking about?

"Think. And where did you pick up such fucking profanity?"


	7. Chapter 6: Reunion

Ch6: Reunion

Feeling agonizing pain in her chest, Sarah decided to rest. She had sprinted almost a three miles and still the forest seemed so far away. She turned to look at the dune where the thing stood, and still stood. She couldn't see James – _no that doesn't suit him at all – _anywhere. Maybe he had run just like her, but why was the figure not moving. Looking around for a tall dune, she found a one that stuck out. Standing on top of it, she saw that Will – _nope, not that either_ – was standing at the bottom of a dune, just standing. The figure wasn't glowing which seemed like good news, but who knows what is good news? She sat there, watching the two in an apparent stalemate. There was no breeze so noting moved.

After a few minuets of staring out at them she got frustrated at the lack of action and started to doze off. Falling into a strange trance-like state, she closed her eyes. Spiraling in darkness, she fell deeper and deeper into her consciousness. At a tryingly slow rate, Sarah became suddenly aware of everything around her. She felt like she was in that state for hours and hours, but the time it took to get there was a mere five minuets.

Scared she would be lost forever, Sarah opened her eyes. Everything was the same: the sun, the shadows, and the two people staring each other down. Feeling quite alienated from her own body, Sarah lifted her hand awkwardly. Putting it up to the light, she looked out at the two. Patient as she was, she obviously was no match against those two. Still feeling uncomfortable in her skin, Sarah tried to get up off of the grass. Uncrossing her legs she made it halfway up and her body gave out, sending her tumbling down the dune. As she hit the bottom, she found herself fitting in herself. Relieved that she felt normal again she decided to move closer to the two people.

Edging her way through the grass, weeds, and insects, Sarah started to think, _Goddamnit! Why can't I think of a name for him? It's not like he has that strange of a face. Uhh…Bill? No. Jeff? No. Chris? Too common. Jake? No. _And the list went on. Transfixed on naming him, Sarah barely realized that she had reached the dune just next to them. Fortunately, for her, the unnamed friend had yelled "WHAT THE HELL? YOU'VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" a few seconds before she reached the top and Sarah snapped back to reality, out of her thoughts. She started to listen in.

"Nope. It's all true." This was a man's voice. It was loud and cocky with just a little air of sarcasm.

"No. It can't be. The memories"

"So you really don't remember?"

"That's what we've spent the last hour discussing."

"So he really did that to you! Amazing. Just proves his veracity."

"So let me get this straight: you're telling me that God exists."

"Yes."

"And that this God actually has powers."

"That is correct."

"And he resides in another universe."

"Ding!"

"That's bullshit."

"Oh, and you were on such a roll."

Sarah cocked her head both in confusion and in interest. This talk of the existence of God was strange. She herself was not Catholic but many people at the school were. She was about to climb over the hill and make her entrance but he was talking again.

"So, I used to live in the same universe as this God? Where did I go, and for that matter why?"

"That's what I came to ask. But, it seems you have a small, ever so small, case of amnesia. So, I'm resigned to just drag you back." Said the man.

Sarah heard a shuffling and then, "Hey, what the hell are you doing?"

"Taking you back. What, did you think I was going to show you the way there? Don't be stupid." Sarah started to hear grunts and then, "Ow! Come on. This isn't a fight you'll win."

"You'd be surprised."

"I've fought this fight before. Plus, I have an advantage, so it all good." Unable to bear it anymore, Sarah peered her head over the top of the hill. She almost cried out when her friend swung out with lightning speed. Following the fist with her eyes, Sarah realized that it wasn't going to make contact. She had never seen anyone move so fast! Blow after blow, the man dodged, duck, and sidestepped everything that was sent his way. It was almost inhuman.

Her friend was almost unable to keep up with his own fists. His blows, originally deliberate, soon became hasty and careless. After a few seconds of rapidfire punches, the man finally made an attack. He grabbed the arm, pulling it towards his outstretched elbow. Sarah's friend took the full force of the blow in his chest stopping his upper body, but his legs continued to fly forward. He flipped and smashed his head on the ground and instantly fell unconscious.

End of Part 1


	8. Chapter 7: Prison Break

Ch7: Isolation

Lyra had been locked alone for what seemed like a week. There was one shower a day, three meals a day, and 5 bathroom breaks a day. Teenagers should not be put through this torment. _Stop whining. You know how that works out: cry, sob, and weep as you will, nothing is gonna magically end this. Back to the plan_…

She had no idea where she was, or how long she had been there but she knew she had to get out. The four steel walls, floor, and ceiling would drive anyone mad. The most she knew about her captors was that they had powers and every one of them had a small golden orb following them. All of them wore midnight cloaks and none of them were, or at least sounded like, women. Nobody talked. Despite the hundreds of drones that were in the holding complex, none of them made a sound.

Well, almost none of them. She had befriended one of them, Jim. He was much older, maybe in his fifties, but he seemed like he was twenty or thirty. Must be one of his powers. Although he didn't talk about what he did outside of her personable aura, it was nice to at least talk to someone. That must have been the one thing taking her up to this week, but Jim had vanished last week, at least from her life. She well couldn't ask anyone else where Jim was and expect an answer. Eventually her thoughts trailed to her daemon. She missed him dearly but her witchesque ability let their distance not harm her. She knew that Pan was alright because the connection still existed. But he was uncomfortable, confined. He must be caged.

After a few minuets of thinking of her precious Pantalaimon, her thoughts trailed to Will. Ah, Will! What a plethora of memories she could recount with him. But there was a limited supply of the best memories. She spent the next hours just fantasizing about what she would do with Will if he were here. Her mind wandered further than is necessarily appropriate, but realizing this she blushed. She could think whatever she wanted, and she wanted Will. _Why should I be embarrassed about thinking about Will? I mean he's Will. It's not like there's anyone that'll care… Fuck. Hehe, forgot about Alex. _Alex was her boyfriend of one year. _I like Alex. He's nice, funny, and he cares for me. But Will is Will. And I love Will more than anything. God! We've been over this before. Debating the possibility of Will is pointless. But it's all I want to do. No, that's irrelevant . It just makes you remorseful for not staying with him. There was no choice but to leave. You had to work on creating the Republic. Oh ya, the Republic. I should get started on making a plan to begin thinking about creating a blueprint for the Republic. I got to the fuck out of here. The plan. Right_…

The room was small and confined. Luckily, the ceiling was low and the lighting was through, what Will would call, electricity. There were long tubes inside a ceiling behind a pane of glass. That night, Lyra had pulled the pane out. The light made the pane hot during the day so she had to wait until night. Silently she unscrewed the long glass tube that illuminated the small room. She had practiced swinging at just the right height to have a substantial blow to the head. She would use the pane of glass as covering fire when she started to make her way out. Hopefully, the strange men had weapons on them to use in case of emergency.

Then came a long awaited knock on the door. At least they had some courtesy. Composing herself to seem as innocent as possible. The door burst open and smoke filled the room. Gasping for breath and feeling for the exit, Lyra stumbled on a heavy metal pole. Pulling herself up, she looked out through the smoke trying not to tear by blinking rapidly. A hand shot out of the thick air. It groped almost knowing where she was. Swatting it away from her face, the hand found the back of her neck. Out of nowhere, the hand gained a body out of the smoke. Lyra couldn't see it for her face was buried in the floor. The captor seemed to be quite calm but a pulse was running through his or her hand.

She felt the blunt pressure of metal on her neck. The cool metal was shaking and her captor said angrily, "Don't you dare fucking move!" _Shit, and I'm usually so good at escaping. How the hell did this happen? _"Where the fuck do you think your going?" Lyra just grunted and kicked out into the air, aiming for the groin but sadly she only found air. "Oh, you want to leave? 

Is that it? Go ahead and take your stupid fucking pine martin and get the FUCK out!" Lyra's captor picked her up by the neck and dragged her over to an opening that seemed to air out the room she was in. He pushed.

After she had seen the opening, everything was bright and she couldn't open her eyes. She felt like she was falling forever, but eventually she found soft leafy ground. She tried to look up at where she had come from, but only found fog and her immediate surroundings. Something was falling out of the clouds though, like a rodent thing… Pan! She rushed over to catch her precious Pan and she held him close to her, never wanting to let go. She felt his fur and his joy of seeing her again.

"Lyra! What happened? Are you okay? Where are we? Where were we? Why is it so foggy? I missed you! What's going on? Are you hurt?" He scampered around her, inspecting every inch to make sure Lyra was okay.

"Pan, I'm fine, and you asked that question twice. What about you?" She said grabbing hold of his soft fur.

"Me? I'm okay, fine, never better, awesome. Where are we?" He still seemed to be panicking.

"I have no idea," said Lyra appearing to keep a level head, but feeling as anxious as Pan acted. "I think I hear something down the road. We should check it out."

Pan finally taking a breath said, "That was the scariest seconds of my life."

"What falling? We've been in much worse trouble."

"But at least then we could do something about it. Heights are the worst."

"Well, your fine now." She cuddled him close to her face and soaked in his warmth and exuberance. After a few minuets of reconciliatory joy, they decided it was time to move out. The strange fog was lifting, along with the clouds and soon it was out of sight. Lyra barely recognized the amorphous blob that the clouds resembled but she didn't take it too seriously. She had Pan back.

Lyra and Pan started to move towards the sound that Lyra had heard earlier. Despite her love for adventure and new experiences, she still felt very anxious. Trying to put on a brave face, she said to Pan, "So where do you reckon we are? It doesn't look like anywhere near Oxford."

"I can't tell. But we are definitely not in a strange world. It looks very much like the forest just after the river in Oxford."

"You're right! I couldn't recognize it. It's usually so cloudy. Try and see if you can get a better look in one of the trees."

"Sure," said Pan and he quickly scaled the tallest tree in the area. Once he got to the top he paused as if unsure about something. He rubbed his eyes and then looked back out.

Feeling puzzled, Lyra called out, "Hey, Pan! What's wrong?" As a response, he looked down at Lyra with an open mouth, as if in awe.

He darted down the tree. Finally reaching Lyra he gasped a breath of air. He seemed shocked and distressed, but he was never uneasy. "I guess I was wrong about the strange world theory."

"What do you mean?" She said stroking his fur to soothe him.

"The closest thing to civilization is a large metal structure with wires attached to it."

"What about the noise that we heard?"

"Same place."

"Might as well check it out."


	9. Chapter 8: Without You

Ch8: Without You

His eyes snapped open and closed. The sun glaring right in his eyes, he could barely open his eyes again. In the middle of his sight was a large blue dot that obscured nearly everything. He looked down at his watch. _Six AM. Fucking six AM, and I got to wake up to this bullshit. _He got up from his uncomfortable position under a tree. Brushing leaves and spiders off of his jacket, he looked at his surroundings. Looking down at his feet, he saw his daemon still sleeping soundly. Not wanting to wake her, he climbed up a tree to see where he was. After spending 3 days here, he was sick of it. Reaching the top, he looked out and saw the tower about two miles away. He leaned out to look over the forest and a small chain fell out. _Fuck. I really should wear my dog tag more often. But the name on it is dead. 'In loving memory of_…_' is an explanation, but nobody loved him._ A few seconds after the chain fell, he heard a small clink of metal on dirt and a loud hiss of his daemon.

Smirking to himself at his daemon's rude awakening he slid down the tree arriving on solid ground with a small thud. He looked at his cat-daemon glaring up at him.

"Now why the hell would you do that?" she said, pacing around to find the warm spot she was before.

"To scare you, why else?" he said. He reached down to the dog tag and looked at the name. It read

_**William Perry**_

_**Spec. Ops.**_

"_**Reflex" "Catwoman"**_

_**16.14.99. Dev. 4**_

"Stop reminiscing! You did the same with Lyra." Will sighed looking resigned. He nodded and she continued, "Now, focus on what you have to do: finding Nick."

"Right, Nick. The ever so tangible Nick who I was told so much about by Xaphania."

"She gave you a mission. Two actually. You have yet to start rebuilding."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that?" he said, rounding on her. But, after an insulted look from Kirjava, he said, "Sorry. You know how I hate you mentioning the Republic."

"Hey, do you smell something?" she said, seeming to forget their argument.

"No… wait. I smell smoke." Eyes widening he whispered, "Fire? People!" Then he said, "It could be Nick. Let's check it out."

"Turn of safety, just in case."

"Right." He pulled out a pistol from his back pocket. It was Will's only remaining artifact from his time in the Special Operatives. The custom Desert Eagle was his most trusted weapon since… Never mind.

He cocked the gun and kept it safely tucked into his sleeve. Will looked at Kirjava and she said, "This way." He followed her down a path – _why is there a path in a deserted forest?_ – and came across a clearing; in the middle was a growing fire and a girl, not much younger then him, maybe 17 or 18. The fire was edging towards the girl and she was still asleep.

Will moved forward to cut of the fires beeline to the girl. He started to stomp out the fire while Kirjava nudged awake the girl. As the girl's eyes started to open and she rolled over revealing a small rodent-feline creature. Will looked down on the girl and saw the fur of the pine martin. Something clicked in his brain and he froze standing in front of the growing blaze.

He looked down at Kirjava, then to his hand where he held his dog tag and realized he had to become what he had pined about for almost 6 years. _How am I going to out-lie Lyra? Shit, she cannot find out what I've become or who I am. Xaphania specifically said that I had to distance myself from her. But I want her so badly – OW! _The fire had reached his pants and set his leg on fire. 'Reflex' started to think and in a split second, Will had off the part that was ablaze. As Lyra started to become conscious, she saw the fire, then the boy, no, the man standing putting it out. Adrenaline dripped her blood and she scrambled away as fast as possible. Finally, Will put out the fire and Lyra's nerves started to settle, Kirjava snuck away unnoticed.

After the flames had been doused with dirt, Will looked around, first for Lyra, then for Kirjava. Seeing that she had disappeared, he felt both relived and nervous. If she came back, he would have to explain her absence. _She's smart. She'll have an idea of what to do. _He made his way over to Lyra, formulating his life before he reached her. He would have to explain his connection to Will. _Roommate. _He would have to explain why he was in the forest so far outside Oxford. _I like the wilderness. _The dog tag. _In his will. _He got it covered.

"Are you alright?" He said, dusting off his hand and offering it to her. _What if she recognizes my touch? _She took it, and obviously didn't.

"Fine. Who are you?" she said, and with that Will was almost stumped.

"Rodger. Rodger Pe-" he almost slipped and said "Perry" but he caught himself. "Rodger Penn, from Oxford. By the way, do you always treat your savior with such skepticism?"

"Sorry, I was just wondering why you were here. And where is here?"

"Oh, we're a few kilometers outside of Oxford, maybe thirty or forty." He said, acting as nonchalant as possible.

"Forty kilometers! Shit." Thinking on her feet, Lyra decided to find out more about where she was. "By chance, do you know a Doctor Mary Malone?"

"Ya, I know Mary. We are pretty close. How do you know her?" said Will, acting as nonchalant as possible. Lyra gasped. Will smirked and said, "What? Seriously, how do you know Mary?"

"It's a long story. We go way back. Can you take me to her?"

"Sure, but, first tell me how you know her, or at least who you are?"

"My name's Lizzie Brooks." _If she wants to use a fake name, that's fine. _"I'm also from Oxford."

Just then, Pan popped up over her shoulder. Obviously he wanted to see who this 'Rodger' fellow was. "And who is this little guy? What's his name?" He reached out to touch Pan and a million thoughts ran through his head. _You know it's bad to touch another daemon. But I'm not supposed to know about daemons! We'd have to know if Kirjava shows up. _Luckily, Lyra pulled away.

"Sorry." She said stroking his fur. "He doesn't like to be touched. His name is Stephen. Isn't he adorable?"

"Yes, he is very cute. What is he? He seems like a pine martin, but his fur is strange."

"Well, he is a pine martin. I found him. Anyways, how long will it take to get back to Oxford? I really want to meet Mary." She was visibly starting to get anxious. _I hope she doesn't take it too hard, _though Will, _she clearly isn't squirming to see Mary._

"She probably won't want to see you."

"Why's that? She will remember me."

"She hasn't spoken to anyone for almost a year."

When Will had come back from this flight through worlds unknown he and Mary started to live together. But eventually he had to leave. He had found a job and decided to rent an apartment for his mother and himself. Everything was progressing smoothly until his mother eventually couldn't take the absence of her husband. She overdosed on sleeping pills and killed herself.

Will had spiraled into a deteriorating depression and didn't seem to be pulling out. He was going to a psychiatrist, but that wasn't helping. Feeling he could do more good by fighting, he decided to join the army as his father did. The camaraderie he found there was cathartic; he had finally accepted his mother's death and he realized that he had to respect her decision.

In keeping with his emotional revival, Will also made many friends in the army. Given his experience with tense situations, Will was more adept at responding to some situations that most other people cowered from. His newfound prowess made him captain of many of his friends. All of his lieutenants respected him, both because of his mastery of leading and commanding as well as Kirjava. She had given him the name 'catwoman' by accompanying him on his tours through the Middle East, Russia, and China, she gave renown for always having a pet with him. Of course, nobody knew it was the same pet. Even though she hated the feeling and always reverted as soon as she got the chance, Kirjava had to change her form to protect Will. 'Catwoman' came about because Kirjava always helped him fight, telling him where the enemy soldiers were, scouting an area for fresh water and shelter, and, sometimes, fighting alongside him, although this was very rare.

His success as a commander put him on the radar of the Global Vigilante Agency. They recognized his prowess and ability to take the upper hand in losing situations. He was recruited as soldier, but he moved up fast. Eventually he was placed in a two man team. His partner, Rodger looked very much like him with scraggily brown hair, solid jaw, and square shoulders. They were often confused with each other.

On one mission in Israel, they had to infiltrate a Palestinian resistance headquarters. Even though they were experts, accidents happen. That day, the leader of the resistance movement showed up with heavy security. Rodger and Will were obviously outnumbered, but they weren't outmatched. They snuck into the ventilation system. After a day of the cramped metal tube, Will and Rodger had to get out. Calculating the rotation times the guards and impersonating the other staff, they made it out of the watch of the guards and guns and they started to run. This caught the attention of the whole complex of the resistance. Bullets flying for them, they sprinted away until they were safe. They finally got a chance to talk.

Panting and sweating Will said, "Fuck! We called the GVA almost an hour ago. Where the fuck are they?"

Twice as tired as Will, Rodger replied, "You have to get out."

"What? No, no, no. You are getting out with me."

Shaking his head, he leaned back and said, "Take my dog tag. Take my life. You hate yours. Start over. Resign from the GVA. You are smart, get a stable job. Find someone you like and stay away from Will."

Will's iron face started to break. A tear rolled formed in the corner of his eye and he blinked it away. "But won't the GVA do tests on you to make sure that 'I' died."

"They won't. Remember, you can never let Will exist if you want a normal life."

"Thank you. Thank you. I am eternally grateful."

"Dedicate your life to yourself. There is no higher calling. You will change the world Will. Change it by changing yourself. Immortalize yourself as me."

"I will." And Rodger pulled out a Desert Eagle and handed it to him pointed towards his head. "No. I can't."

"Let go. You are killing Will, not Rodger. I'm sure you have a million bogus reasons to kill yourself."

Will looked at the gun, and pointed it at Rodger. His hand started to tremble and he pressed his eyes closed as tight as possible. But he dropped the gun to his side and said, "I can't. I just can't."

"Fine." Rodger reached out and pulled the gun from Will's unsuspecting hands. He pointed it at himself and said, "Good bye, Rodger." A shot rang out and Will felt the crack jar his bone. Will started to cry.

"Let's go Kirjava. They would have heard that."


	10. Chapter 9

Ch9:

"So you still haven't told me why Mary isn't talking."

"It's a long story. I doubt you know anything about it."

"Oh, come on. I care about Mary very much. If something is bothering her the I would want to console her." At this point, Pan was getting a little irritated. He was nibbling on Lyra's fingernail and squirming in her arms. She had wanted to talk to Pan for some time, but she couldn't let this stranger know about daemons.

"Fine," said Rodger. "It started almost six years ago.

Mary had just come back from a trip to… well, I don't really know where." _From the other worlds, _though Lyra. "Once she had returned, it seemed hard to revert to her normal routine. By the way, this is all second hand, so take some of this with a grain of salt. Anyways, she came back with a boy." _Will. _"She seemed to care very much for this boy. This boy was very shy and seemed to just skulk around at school. But he and Mary shared a strange bond, almost like they were both privy to some reality shattering secret. This bound them together. They lived together for a few years, but Will, the boy, realized that Mary was barely making ends meat to support herself, so he decided to move away with his mother. His mother was suffering from an abnormal case of PTSD and was in depression. Her husband had died." _Come on, I know about his mother. What happens next? _Lyra was going crazy waiting for more information about Will and Mary from Rodger. "Sadly she killed herself soon after they moved in to their new home. It was then Will's turn to be depressed. But it was short lived because he decided to do the noble thing and join the army. At only 16, they barely let him in, but seeing his amazing talents as a fighter, they had to.

"Mary didn't like this at all. She wanted him back in her life, to take care of him, because he was obviously vulnerable. She thought he was being coerced, but she accepted his decision because it seemed to make him happy. She feared for him every second. After a year in the army, Will joined an organization called the Global Vigilante Agency. That's where I met him. I was new and we were almost the same age. They paired us up, because there had to be two people to a mission. I never found out what Mary was doing during the year. Anyhow, Will and I became very good friends." Rodger was staring at the ground, lost in his own story. His calculative gaze was long gone, replaced with a strangely familiar misty-eyed half-awake distant look. But he was talking and Lyra hadn't been listening. She was thinking, W_hy does he seem so sober? _"I remember how he always knew what to do. We had gone to Israel and escaped a near fatal encounter with some guys. We had called the rescue team but that would take some minuets. Will decided to trick me into leaving without him." _No. This cant be true. It can't be real. _"He was killed in action." Rodger saw Lyra's eyes welling up. "Did you know Will?"

Lyra felt fettered by her own deception: if she started to cry, she would have to reveal her covetousness for Will, but if she didn't, it would eat her up inside. She decided to tell a partial truth by saying, "I knew him in school, and…"

"Oh, I see. Well, that's mainly the reason that Mary isn't talking. She still hasn't come to terms with his death."

Pan was laying limp in her arms. Lyra's whole world seemed to change now that Will was gone. Nothing seemed to have its same brightness. The trees, the breeze, even the leaves under her feet all seemed to become inert, inane, and meaningless. She looked down at the one thing that seemed vibrant and animated, Pan. He was all she had left, along with memories: her mother and father, the feeling of calm when reading the altheometer, and Will. She was so entranced with her own thoughts; she didn't realize they had collided with a large road, paved with one smooth rock.

"It's not much farther, 10 minuets walk." Rodger looked at her with strange eyes, with care. "Are you alright, you seem melancholy?"

"No, I'm fine." She said, faking a bad smile. _God, I can't even lie well anymore. _"I'm just really tired."

"That's understandable. We can rest if you want?"

"No, let's keep moving." And she fell right back into lamenting for things lost, main topic of internal discussion being, of course, Will.

Will looked over at Lyra to see how she was doing. Hopefully she didn't love me too much. _Obviously, she did love me that much. I could tell her; no I can't. The angel said she would have to find out on her own. If I tell to her_… _let's not dwell on it. I should console her: give her comforting words, something he told me about an old girlfriend. No, this moratorium is good. She needs to think._ Suddenly Will sopped. Kirjava was close, he could feel her. He paused and tried a skill he was perfecting. He reached out with his mind to find Kirjava's, but then thought that it would be too conspicuous if he stopped and sudden had a pained look on his face, but he needed to know her story. He finally found it after some moments, and she let him in.

He blinked hard, trying his best to fake a headache. When he opened his eyes, he saw something he had coveted and cherished in his memories: Lyra's face. "Are you alright?"

"Ya, it's just a headache." He said, blinking hard again. "Come on, we're almost there." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small brown dart turning gold, and felt a flutter in his heart knowing that Kirjava had changed. He hated the feeling as much as she hated it, it was almost like re-coloring his soul.

After a short few more minuets of walking, they finally reached the car. By this time, Lyra was actually exhausted. She had forgotten how strenuous distance walking had been. As they rounded a corner Lyra saw a strange object: a silver monstrosity. It was resting on what appeared to be big black spheres. But Lyra knew better. She had seen this contraption a few times before and knew the name of it. She would call it a magnificent carriage, but knew it was a truck, and a very unassuming one at that. As she moved towards it, she saw a golden bolt fly out of the back of the truck, towards Rodger. Only as it drew closer did she realize it was a cat with gold, not blonde, hair, almost like her mothers.

The cat flew into Rodger's arms, and he held it close, whispering to it. Trying to sound incredulous, Lyra asked, "Are you talking to your cat?"

"Oh, well… Shit, I can't think of a reasonable explanation for it. In my defense, she talks back."

"What's her name?"

"Diane." He stroked her golden fur that he found quite foreign. "I've know her for two years."

"So around the same time you met Will? Did he show you to her?" she said as she approached him.

"Ya, how did you know?" Will was trying his best to seem puzzled. He was never able to lie to Lyra well.

She smiled broadly and her face lit up. Will would kill for that look for himself, but Rodger had to not recognize it. "Did he tell you what they were called?"

"Ya, daemons. He said that they were like your soul and they depicted what your personality was like."

"So Will told you everything about his past?" Lyra was dying to get out her real name. She wanted to stop lying and openly express how she felt, dislodged from everything real.

"Yes. How do you know about Will's past? I know you were his girlfriend at one point but I doubt he would trust an insignificant thing like a teenage sweetheart unless she was…" Acting the best he had ever acted, Will attempted to draw himself to an awesome conclusion. "You're not Lyra, are you? You can't be? You're from another world!" Rodgers face changed instantly, from convoluted deliberation to amazed realization.

She smiled subtly and nodded. "That's me."

"No."

"Yes."

"Impossible."

"It's true."

"Holy fuck!"

"I know. Now, I would really like to go meet Mary."

"Oh of course. I would never deny a guest of this world. How did you get here? I thought all the windows were closed by that angel."

"I'm actually not sure how I got here. From what I remember, I fell out of the sky." Lyra noticed that Rodger was looking at her strangely. "What?"

"No. it's just that ... you are exactly how Will described you." Lyra turned to face him squarely. Even though she had a lack of hygiene in the prison, she was as beautiful as ever. Will inspected her all the while wanting to reach out and touch her soft face. Wanting to break the silence, Will said, "So, should we get going?"

"Yes, yes please." They both climbed into the truck and started to drive off. While Lyra was still grieving, she didn't notice how Pan was looking at Rodger's daemon. Because daemons are always changing they are never deceived by appearances. Pan knew that, Kirjava knew that, but both Lyra and Will did not, having only known a few daemons in their lifetimes.


End file.
